Sliding doorlock



Patented Sept. 6, 1.932

UNITED STATES PATENT i 5 JAMES D. sMI'riI, oF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS; AssINoR Ior ONE-HALF 'To FRANKLIN?.

sMIrH;(misurando,ILLrNoIsf` l p sIIDING nooRLocx Appiiaao mea trafen 9,

This invention relates to sliding door locks, :and its principal object is to provide, arotatable lock bolt which is automatically acted upon by an associated slotted keeper,rduring g the final closing movement ofthe door, to Iturn the lock boltV into position for entrance through the slot of the keeper. e e v Another object is to providenovel means for ensuring the automatic operation ofthe bolt, despite the fact that thev door is not hung properly. I have accomplished this result by providing the -lock bolt with a. head wider in one direction than the `other and .rlhaving spirally disposed cam-like edges which are 115 adapted to be engaged bythe side Yedges of the slot, regardless of any slight misalignl ment of thedoor, whereby thewider' part of the bolt head is thereby turn-ed into parallel- .ism with the slot and thrust therethrough during the final closing movement of the door, and thereafter automatically turned at right angles to the slot so as, 4toylockingly engage with the keeper. l 'Y :The invention consists, therefore, Vin the forthand claimed;v l A; I The invention is clearlyillustratedin the drawing' accompanying this speciication in which- 1 Y f Figure 1 is a view partly in side' elevation and partly in vertical longitudinal section of l a sliding door lock embodying a simple `form of the present invention, part-of one of the side plates `of fthe lock casing being broken' away, andthe lineof section 4being indicatedl atl-linFigB; le l i. K Fig. 2 is a view partly in end elevation and partly invertical cross-section taken'on the line2`2 ofFig.3;"f; Y

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken 0n the line 3-3 of Fig. 1; l l

. Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section -takenon the line/1 4 ofFig. 1; and l f Fig. 5 is aview partly in ,endelevation and partly in vertical cross section taken on the line 5--5` of Fig. 3, illustratingthe bolt head in a position occupied when passing through the slot of the keepers l e. j

Referring to said drawing, the reference.

``1 character 6 (see 3) designates'va frag-` several novel features lhereinafter fu'llyset` 1 longest dimension of the bolt head'. l

1931.. seriai Ne. 521,050. I l i y A ment of an enclosure Vhavinga door opening *l adapted to be closed byL a sliding doorga fragment ofwhich is seen at 7 The'sliding door is provided 'with door hangers Knot shown) e 'asis customary,whereby the door is opened u u 1 i 1 f and closed by sliding movements'. Secured to the door, as `by screws isthelockfcasing 9 which usually comprises tvvo'side plates 10 'and 11 secured together byscrewsjlh one of "the side plates being provided withfa niarginal flange 13 which abuts against the inner face lof the other sidelplate and provides'a chamber between the side plate forl receiving the I'osperatingAmechanism'gof the lock. y

lRotatably mounted in thelock casing 9 is a lock boltla which Iprojects* throught-hel' edge portionof the doorT and is provided `with `a head *15* adapted to engagei'witha keeper16, bolted or otherwisesecuredto lthe enclosure 6,` The/lock4 bolt'fislheldagainst 70` fendwise movement as by a pairofcollars v17 ,pinned or otherwise rigidly fastened. to the e shank18 `of' the lock boltV and disposed on the Vtwo sides of z lypairfof lugs 19 whichare formed on the side plate l0 j and s'traddle the 75 shank of the bolt; The rear end ofthe bolt may berotatablymounted upon a' pin 20 secured in thejlange v13, andthe forward Vend, of ,the kbolt turns in A'aligned openings 21and 22formed in the frontedgey of thedoor and:

`adjacent the Vla'nge 13 fof the lock leasingl The boltfhead 15 is `formed with van' apl proXiInately latportion, having agreater dimension in one 'direction than the other, and is of'V tapered y formation. `,The .tap'ering .l side 'ledges 23 Vare eccentrically disposedwith':

respect tothe axis of the boltas shown vin f l Figs, 2 .and 5, so as to formcam-like surfaces which are acted uponl by th'esidev 4edgesof the slotQt of the keeper, while theboltfhead isV-`90 passing throughsaidslot'duringthefinal` Vclosing 4movement of the door. The side edges ofthe bolttaper from the base to a point located in theaXis ofthe bolt, wherebyl the bolt will lalways find kits way intofth'e slot` of the keeper `despite themfact thatzth'e door may not be hun'glexactly right.l TheslotQli; is elongated in a vertical direction and/,is relatively narrow, but of less width than the w'o 'may -be'actuatedfbyfa properdoor key, as is Normally the longest dimension or major axis of the bolt head extends crosswise of the plane of the door and crosswise of the slot and is yieldably held in such position by a coiled spring 25 which encircles the shank of the lock bolt andV has one end bearing' against the side plate l() and the other end in engagement with a collar 26 pinned`or" otherwis'ese'cured ntoV the 'sha-nk jof the lock Joolt.V

Thecollar 26 is formed withfa toe 27 which is held in engagement with the side plate 10 bythe coiled spring 25, thus positioning the bolt head to normally stand at right angles to the plane of ythe door, and, consequently, at right angles to the major axis of the slot'24. Y n i Y Means are provided for manually rotating the lock bolt so as to bring the major'axis vof its ,head into V4parallelism with the'major axis of the slot 24 forA the purpose of unlocking vthe door, andin'the simple `form of 'mechanism's'howm allink 28 is provided, one endofwhich is connected `to a bell crank lever 29'fulcrumed upon lthe side plate 10 at 30, andthe other end "of whichv link is pro-k vided with 'an 'elongated slot '31 'through which projects apin 32 which' is secured in land Vprojects froin'the side of the shank 18 of the'lock bolt. 'The bell crank lever 29 also provides' 'means' whereby the bolt 'mechanism customary.

An arm 33 fast'upon the spindlet of a fknob or handle -35 engages withan arm of thebell crank lever 29, and, when rotated fin'the v'direction ofthe arrow 'thereon (see 4li`igj1), raises the link'28 and'turnsthe loc-k fboltA Min theV direction indicated' bythe var- Y' rows in 'Figs 2, @and 'by reasonofthe en- 10.

7 the "pin '82,` thereby vbringing lthe bolt head 15"into parallelism vw'ziththe'slot 24. A stop Ygagem'ent -of'thel'owerend of the 'slot Sl'with rpin '36 projectingf-roni' the side' plate 10 limits i "the'nlove'm'ent ofl'the bell cra-nk'lever 29 in l t l pin'y'limitslthe movement ofthe arm 33 in Vthe opposite direction. IIt will be noted that thefd'irecton to Vunlockthe'l'ock, and a stop byreasonof the elongated 'slot Blin the link A28,LV the pin'32 is Afree to move therein )when the lock` bolt is' turned' independently of themanualv actuating mechanism. lIfdesired, a

hood or other -cover 38 isjprovide'd over the slot`24 so as'to preventV access to the bolt head Avvhe'n'in,locking engagement with the'keeper.

Aslh'as'been explained, 'the'bolt "head norv"mally is'h'el'd'iwith its major axis extending atright angles tothe plane of the doorand is moved into positionp'arallel with the major axis of the "slot24 either'byreason of thefenygagement of `itst'ap'ered edges'with the side 'edges of the slot duri'ngtheA final closing movement offthe'door or,,byturning the knob or Y handle, o'r by actuating thelock mechanism with a vproperV key. When the' door is being closed, the tapering' and sloping cam-'like parallelism with the slot, whereupon the entire bolt head passes through the slot and immediately thereafter the spring 25 returns the boltto its normal position With the maj or axisfof the bolt headextending across the slot and engaging the edge portions of the'keeper adjacent the slot, thereby securely locking the door `tothe enclosure. To unlock the door, thezknob must'be turned, or the bell crank Alever 29 moved backby a proper' key to bring the bolt head into parallelism withrthe slot. `FromV the above it'Will' be seen Vthatfdespite the fact' that the 'door may notbe hung with great precision, the head ofthev holty will 'find vits way through 'the slot in 'the'keeper aslong as the pointed endof the'head enters'the'slot.

Il claim as new, and desire vto secure by Letters Patent: 1

"1L A slidingdoor lock comprisingin'com- .'bination a lock casin'gg'a xlock bolt having a shank rotatably mounted and 'heldA against endwise movement in said casing, andhaving aheadv on one end oftapere'd formation, the

sideV edges of which 'are eccentric withre spect'to the axis ofthe bolt,` a'keeperhaving an elongated slot'lextending at right' angles to the normal plane ofthebo'lthead, theside slot during the final. closing movement ofithe door, a stop member onv the bolt co-'acting with 4the casing to position thebolt head in Alocking positionv at rightKY angles tothe slot, a ,spring engaging the flock boltyco-operating lwith said stop member to yield'ably hold' the bolt-head in locking positi'oma'radially"extendingfpin Von'the bolt, a vslotted vboltY actuating link through =Which AsaidV pinl extends, and manually operable means for actuating theV link. v Y

2. A sliding door'lockcomprisingincombin'ation av lock casing,a lockbolt rotatably mounted and held against endwise movement therein, said ylock bolt 'protruding from the casing and Vhavingailattened' head on'v its protruding end, the side faces of which are flat and of less extent than the yremainder of the'head andthe side edgeszof which taper from thebasefof the bolt toaapointv located in the axis 'thereof along vcurved lines-run-v ning in oblique directionsfromthe'flat side :faces ofthehead, 'spring return meansv for Vyieldably holding thebolthead ,in locking position, a keeper having van elongatedl slot whichv extends atcrightanglesl to the normal plane ofthevbolt headian'd is formed with c parallelfside" yedges which'co-operate `with the tapered side edges of` the bolt' head tofrotate Ithelatter into parallelism with theslot durling the final closing movement of ythe door,

Le'rsnes and independently acting manually operated bolt unlocking mechanism.

3. A sliding door lock comprising in combination a lock bolt rotatably mounted and held against endwise movement therein, said'y a keeper having-an elongated slot extending` at right angles to the normal plane of the bolt head and formed with parallel side edges which eo-operate with the tapered curved side Y edges of the bolt head to rotate the latter into parallelism with the slot during the final Y closing movement of the door, a stop member on the lock bolt co-acting with the casing to position the bolt head in locking position at right angles to the slot, a spring engaging e the lock bolt and co-operating with said stop to yieldingly hold the bolt head in locking position, and manually operable unlocking means for the bolt.

JAMES D.. SMITH. 

